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Indianapolis Colts News & Rumors

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/2/18

August 2nd, 2018 at 4:52pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Cincinnati Bengals

  • Waived: DE Ja’Von Rolland-Jones

Dallas Cowboys

Indianapolis Colts

  • Signed: G Nick Callender

Los Angeles Chargers

New England Patriots

  • Waived/injured: G Nate Theaker

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Colts OL Jack Mewhort Retires

August 1st, 2018 at 2:38pm CST by Zachary Links

Colts guard/tackle Jack Mewhort has retired from the NFL, according to an announcement from the team. Mewhort was set to enter his age-27 season, but has decided to hang up his cleats instead. 

“I would like to thank the Irsay family and the entire Colts organization for giving me the opportunity to live a childhood dream,” Mewhort said in a statement.

Mewhort entered the league as a second-round pick of the Colts in 2014. Mewhort has been a starter for the Colts throughout his career, but he has been seriously hampered by knee problems as of late.

Mewhort’s season ended in October thanks to a knee injury, marking his second straight incomplete campaign. Over the last two years, Mewhort has missed 17 games out of a possible 32.

Despite his health issues, the Colts re-signed Mewhort to a one-year, $1.5MM deal in March that could have been worth up to $3MM with incentives. However, the Colts did not bank on his health as they added guards Quenton Nelson and Braden Smith in the first two rounds of the draft. The club also has new interior lineman Matt Slauson in the mix for depth, so they won’t necessarily have to go shopping for offensive line health.

Colts Sign OT J’Marcus Webb

July 30th, 2018 at 3:22pm CST by Zachary Links

The Colts have signed offensive tackle J’Marcus Webb, according to a club announcement. To make room, the Colts waived-injured fellow offensive tackle Jared Machorro. J'Marcus Webb

Webb, 29, signed a two-year deal worth $6.25MM with the Seahawks prior to the 2016 campaign, a pact that contained nearly $2.5MM in guarantees. Slated to serve as Seattle’s right tackle, Webb made only three starts — and appeared in just eight total games — before being waived in November of ’16. In that half of a season, he earned a substantially below-average grade of 38.2 from Pro Football Focus. He has not seen the field since then.

Webb’s stop in Seattle wasn’t much to write home about, but he does offer 46 games of NFL experience, including 44 starts. With the Colts, he’ll work to become a reserve behind starting tackles Anthony Castonzo and Austin Howard.

Bashaud Breeland Unlikely To Sign With Colts

July 30th, 2018 at 12:35pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg
  • Free agent cornerback Bashaud Breeland visited the Colts recently, but the team is unlikely to sign him according to Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star (Twitter link). Holder says there’s “no indication that Bashaud Breeland will land in Indianapolis” and that his “sense is they’ll stand pat with the group of corners they have”, adding he’d be “surprised” if the team ends up bringing in Breeland.

Colts To Work Out RB Orleans Darkwa

July 29th, 2018 at 2:33pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Colts plan to audition free agent running back Orleans Darkwa, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).

If he were injury-free, Darkwa almost surely would have landed a new contract by now, but a May surgery to remove a plate in his leg likely concerned interested clubs. Darkwa received medical clearance more than a month ago, but still has yet to find a new home.

Thus far, Darkwa has only met with AFC East clubs, as the Patriots, Jets, and Bills have brought in the 26-year-old for a visits (the New York and Buffalo meetings both occurred within the past week). New England doesn’t look like a landing spot any longer after the team added Sony Michel in the first round of the draft, and the Jets also have no “immediate” plans to sign Darkwa, per Rapoport.

Playing for the Giants in 2017, Darkwa posted the best campaign of his NFL tenure in by setting career-highs in starts (11), rushes (171), yards (751), and touchdowns (five). Football Outsiders ranked Darkwa as a top-25 running back in both DYAR and DVOA (meaning he was both effective overall and efficient on a per-play basis), while Pro Football Focus noted his ability to create his own yardage. Per PFF, Darkwa not only managed 67% of his rushing yards after first contact, but performed well in Yards Created, a metric which filters out game situation, score, offensive line performance, and other variables.

At present, the Colts are set to rely on Marlon Mack, Christine Michael, and rookies Nyheim Hines and Jordan Wilkins in their backfield, at least until veteran Robert Turbin returns from a performance-enhancing drug suspension. Darkwa doesn’t represent the first free agent back Indianapolis has looked at, as the club worked out Terrance West in May before he signed with the Saints.

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/25/18

July 25th, 2018 at 4:27pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s minor moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

Indianpolis Colts

Los Angeles Chargers

  • Waived: OL Donavon Clark

Los Angeles Rams

  • Signed: WR Aaron Lacombe, WR Khadarel Lott, WR JoJo Natson
  • Waived: WR LaQuvionte Gonzalez, WR Ricky Jeune

New York Giants

Pittsburgh Steelers

  • Waived/injured: DB Trey Johnson

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Redskins

Bashaud Breeland To Visit Colts, Browns

July 23rd, 2018 at 8:07pm CST by Sam Robinson

Bashaud Breeland recently left his Raiders visit without a contract, and it’s becoming clearer why he’s interested in seeing what else is out there.

Because in addition to a Chiefs visit scheduled for Tuesday, both the Colts and Browns have scheduled meetings with the free agent cornerback for this week, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com tweets.

Should the four-year veteran indeed take all of these visits, it will add up to a six-city tour over a five-month period this offseason. He agreed to a deal with the Panthers for three years and $24MM, but a foot injury nixed that. The Cardinals then went in a different direction, a Jamar Taylor trade, following their meeting with Breeland.

This, however, would mark the second time Breeland will have met with the Colts this year. Indianapolis brought him in for a May meeting, but that appeared to be more of an exploratory powwow. Now, it would seem the Colts would be more interested in an agreement. The Colts have kept tabs on Breeland since, Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star reports (on Twitter), but he still doesn’t envision a signing.

The Colts lost Rashaan Melvin to the Raiders in free agency and did not make a notable investment at this position this offseason. They have second-year second-rounder Quincy Wilson tabbed to start on one side. Former UDFA Kenny Moore made five starts last season as well. A 2017 fifth-rounder, Nate Hairston is in the mix, and Indy also has veteran Pierre Desir coming to camp. Breeland has started more games (58) than the Colts’ current corners have combined.

Cleveland, meanwhile, has overhauled its cornerback contingent this year. Denzel Ward, T.J. Carrie, E.J. Gaines and Terrance Mitchell join incumbents Briean Boddy-Calhoun and Mike Jordan. Howard Wilson, a fourth-rounder last year, is set to miss another full season due to injury. The Browns also drafted Louisiana-Lafayette’s Simeon Thomas in Round 6.

The Browns, however, were interested in Breeland prior to his foot injury in March. And with the former second-rounder still being available as training camps commence, he probably won’t cost as much as he would have then. However, the latest entrants into the Breeland derby have money to spend. The Browns (with an NFL-most $69MM in cap space) obviously don’t lack for available funds. The Colts sit second with $50MM-plus.

Anthony Castonzo Avoids PUP List

July 22nd, 2018 at 8:53pm CST by Sam Robinson

An Anthony Castonzo stay on the PUP list due to a midsummer hamstring tweak was among the Colts‘ late-offseason concerns, but that won’t end up taking place. The Colts did not end up placing their top left tackle on the PUP list, per Mike Chappell of CBS 4 (Twitter link). However, Chappell notes (via Twitter) Indianapolis did follow through with placing safeties Malik Hooker and Clayton Geathers on the PUP. Both were expected to land there, with Hooker (torn ACL, MCL in October) being a bit further away from a return.

Colts Eye Braden Smith As Long-Term RG

July 22nd, 2018 at 6:45pm CST by Sam Robinson
  • The Colts added multiple veterans up front this offseason, with Matt Slauson and Austin Howard now in the mix for starting roles as stopgaps. Indianapolis boasts some depth at guard now with Slauson, the recently re-signed Jack Mewhort and No. 6 overall pick Quenton Nelson on the roster. Mewhort’s re-up and the Slauson addition, though, did not deter the Colts from selecting Braden Smith in the second round. The franchise’s goal is for Smith, an Auburn alum, to be the long-term starter at right guard opposite Nelson, Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star notes. Though, Holder cautions his development figures to take longer than Nelson’s. Once entrenched as a Colts guard starter and a candidate for a long-term extension, Mewhort suffered significant injury setbacks in 2016 and ’17 to limit him to a one-year, $1.5MM deal with just $300K guaranteed. Slauson is signed for one year and $2.5MM. One member of this tandem could begin the season in an unfamiliar backup role.
  • It looks like Denico Autry has a path toward either a full-time starting role or a prominent backup job with the Colts. Chris Ballard raved about the defensive end/tackle’s skill set this weekend. “Let me tell you the one you need to watch: It’s Autry,” Ballard said. “Denico Autry is legitimate. He’s long; he’s strong; he’s passionate. I am really excited to watch him play. He’s made up of all the right stuff.” Autry (career-high five sacks last season) served as a rotational player with the Raiders, lining up as an end and a tackle during his four-year run in Oakland.

Colts Sign Second-Round LB Darius Leonard

July 22nd, 2018 at 2:36pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Colts and second-round linebacker Darius Leonard have agreed on a rookie contract, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).

Leonard, the final Indianapolis rookie to come under contract, will receive a four-year deal worth roughly $7.248MM, per Over the Cap. The 36th overall selection, Leonard should collect a signing bonus of ~$3.351MM and carry a 2018 cap charge near $1.318MM.

It’s unclear exactly what held up negotiations between Leonard and the Colts, but Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star recently reported that Leonard would likely have a contract in place by today when rookies were scheduled to report. Back-end first-round picks were reportedly haggling over fourth-year guarantees, and that could have conceivably been a point of contention for Leonard, as well. With Leonard and Giants running back Saquon Barkley now signed, only nine 2018 draft selections are without deals.

Viewed as an extremely athletic linebacker coming out of South Carolina State, Leonard dealt with a quad injury during the spring but is expected to be fully healthy for training camp. Expected to be the Colts’ weakside ‘backer of the future, Leonard is a good bet to see playing time as a rookie alongside Antonio Morrison and John Simon, with former Eagle Najee Goode and fellow second-rounder Kemoko Turay acting as competition.

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